A man in Georgia has admitted to aiding his brother-in-law in the tragic deaths of two children, followed by burying their bodies behind their family’s mobile home. Mark Wright confessed to charges including second-degree murder, child cruelty, concealing a death, and false imprisonment.
Through a plea deal, Wright’s initial malice murder charge was reduced to second-degree murder, and one of the first-degree child cruelty charges was downgraded. The death penalty was removed as an option, with Wright potentially facing up to 80 years in prison upon sentencing in October.
The case involved the deaths of Elwyn Crocker Jr. and his sister Mary Crocker, whose bodies were found buried on their father’s property in Guyton in December 2018. Elwyn Crocker Sr., the children’s father and a former Walmart Santa, has been indicted on charges of malice murder, child cruelty, and concealing a death, potentially facing the death penalty if convicted.
Kim Wright, the children’s step-grandmother, is also facing similar charges alongside Crocker Sr. Both have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. Two other co-defendants, Candice Crocker (the children’s step-mother) and Roy Prater (Kim Wright’s boyfriend), have already pleaded guilty to murder and received life sentences without parole.
The case gained national attention when authorities, responding to a welfare check in 2018, discovered the children’s remains buried in the backyard. Shockingly, neither child had been reported missing prior to this grim discovery.
Prosecutors allege that Mary Crocker, 14, suffered severe abuse, being tied up, starved, confined naked in a dog crate, and beaten for attempting to eat. Her last sighting was in October 2018. Elwyn, her 14-year-old brother, was last seen in 2016 and reportedly faced brutal beatings from his father.
Text messages exchanged between the suspects before and after Mary’s death provided insight into their actions. During a court hearing, messages were shared where Crocker Sr. expressed concerns about Mary’s condition. In one exchange, he informed Kim Wright about burying Mary’s body, to which she callously responded inquiring about the burial depth.
Following the burial, Crocker Sr. and Kim Wright allegedly discussed going to the cinema, showcasing a disturbing lack of remorse.
